Have you ever felt stressed out? The answer to that was probably an immediate, big, fat “yes.”
From the time you were a young child, you probably knew what it was like to be stressed. However, this stress only intensifies as you get older, begin to understand the world better and take on more responsibility.
Stress can easily stem from work, school, and even just life with family and friends. Sometimes it can easily be controlled, and other times it seems to just spiral right out of hand. But, managing your stress level is important. Stress puts added work on your body that only leaves you feeling fatigued and irritable, among other things.
While it is nearly impossible to live your life with no stress – life is just going to be stressful at times – it is not impossible to learn how to properly manage that stress. It is important that you manage stress not only for your health but for your productivity. Stress can cause you to lose your train of thought, become extremely tired, and also cause you to feel scatter-brained which will make it hard for you to focus on the task at hand.
Check out these 6 tips for managing your stress level:
- Avoid triggers. Items such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine can increase your stress level as they are stimulants. People often think of these as stress relievers but in fact, they are stress promoters.
- Get more sleep. Studies have shown that without the proper amount of sleep you are more susceptible to stress. Try to get a good 8 hours of sleep each night to ensure you are well rested.
- Participate in regular physical activity. Getting your blood flowing and increasing your heart rate is a good way to relieve stress. It also helps get your body physically in shape with can further reduce stress levels.
- Keep a stress diary. When you are feeling extremely stressed and overwhelmed, make note of it. List how you feel, how long you have felt that way and what you think might have caused it. This will help you express your feelings and give you a way to see patterns and triggers.
- Learn to say “no.” It can be easy to be a “yes man” and take on several tasks at once. However, you will find yourself being less productive due to stress. There is a time when it is okay to say “no.”
- Manage your time. Make a list of everything you need to get done and a schedule for how you will complete it. This will help you better manage your time and get the important projects done first to avoid stress throughout the day.